Club History

Croesyceiliog Canoe Club (CCC) grew from Croesyceiliog Secondary School Youth Club where pupils, supported by staff and parents, made their own canoes in evening and weekend classes run by Alan Baker. Local rivers were explored on Sundays; paddlers wearing homemade wet suits and spray decks. In 1971 the formation of a club enabled canoeing activities to be extended and club members competed regularly in slaloms all over Britain. The club became affiliated first to the BCU and on its inauguration to the Welsh Canoeing Association. This enabled members to gain inland coaching qualifications. Enlisting on the first of Sandy Buttle’s courses led to the extension of club activities initially along the Pembrokeshire coast, and later paddles in the Bristol and English Channel.

In the 1980s the weekly pool sessions transferred to Maindee Swimming Pool, Newport, and in January 2006 the Club moved to the new pool at the Newport International Sports Village. This excellent facility with a larger pool triggered an expansion of the Club; its present membership is currently around 80 and canoeing sessions have been extended to 7.30-10.00pm on a Thursday (split between juniors and adults). Outdoor activities also flourish. The club has organised a number of challenging white-water paddling trips in the French Alps and Augsburg and Scotland. Sea kayaking has become very popular and over the last three years expeditions to Swanage on the south coast; Oban and recently Sardinia has been undertaken. Paddles on local rivers at home are varied and frequent and include Open Canadian.

The Club continues to organise a wide range of summer and winter canoeing programmes of leisure, competition and coaching activities to suit all abilities, in many aspects of the sport. With an active Committee and members keen to help and take part, CCC has become one of Wales’ top clubs and deserves the previously awarded ‘TOP CLUB’ title

To contact the club come to one of our pool session or e-mail the club secretary.